As computer processors have increased in ability, the number of transistors utilized has increased almost exponentially. This increase in circuit elements has drastically increased the power requirements of such processors. As the need of power increases, the temperature at which a computer operates increases and the battery life of portable computers decreases. The loss of battery life with modern portable computers greatly reduces the time during which the computer can function as a portable device. In fact, the power usage has become so great that even with significant reduction in the process size utilized, a plethora of techniques have been implemented to reduce power usage to maintain the efficacy of portable computers.
One of these techniques monitors the use of the various devices within the computer and disables those devices that have not been utilized for some period. Because the processor utilizes a significant amount of the power (e.g., 50%) used by a portable computer, this technique is utilized to disable the processor itself when its processing requirements are unused for some interval. In the typical case, disabling the processor is accomplished by terminating the system clocks furnished to the processor. When processor clocks have been disabled, controlling circuitry (typically a portion of the “Southbridge” circuitry of an X86-processor-based computer) remains enabled to detect interrupts requiring processor operation. The receipt of such an interrupt causes the controlling circuitry to once again enable clocks to the processor so that the processor may take whatever steps are necessary to handle the basis of the interrupt.
The technique of disabling the processor reduces significantly the dissipation of power caused by the operation of the processor even at a low frequency. In fact, the technique works quite well; and it is estimated that with many portable computers the processor is placed in the state in which system clocks are disabled during approximately ninety percent of the operation of the computer. However, use of this technique emphasizes another aspect of power loss using advanced processors. When system clocks for a processor are disabled, the processor must remain in a state (sometimes called “deep sleep”) in which it is capable of rapidly responding to interrupts. Such a state requires the application of core voltage to the various circuits. The application of this voltage generates a power dissipation referred to in this specification as “static power” usage because the processor is in its static state in which clocks are disabled. To date there has been little attention paid to this static power usage. However, the usage is very significant when a processor functions in the deep sleep mode as much as ninety percent of the time. As process technologies continue to shrink in dimension and lower operating voltages, this static power increases due to lower threshold voltages and thinner gate oxides.
It is desirable to furnish apparatus and methods for reducing the power use of a processor in the state in which its clocks are disabled.